GaW Military Campaigns
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War Military Campaigns can portray the heroics of a high-flying Starfighter squadron or the trials and tribulations of a special-forces unit wallowing in the mud. The most important difference between a Military Campaign and a more conventional one is the mood and tone. Military Campaigns are structured. Even though the morality of the conflict might be unclear, the objectives are well defined. Winning a war requires teamwork, planning, and the skills to get the job done. Discipline is also important, because it provides a structure for the military machine. Even the lowliest trooper is expected to follow orders. If the trooper refuses to do so, the ripples of the insubordination can be felt even in the highest echelons. This chapter explains how to establish the necessary tone and mood of a Military Campaign and how to convey to the heroes that they are a part of a conflict that is much larger than any individual solder. In addition, you can learn about military characters and what makes them tick. You're in the Army Now See also: Military Jargon A career in the military is just like any other job. The biggest difference is the pay. Troopers rarely earn more than the bare minimum wage. Troopers do, however, have most of their material needs met. Clothing, food, housing, and other necessities are all included. Another difference between troopers and civilians is the risks that they take. Officers and enlisted troopers alike are expected to put their lives in on the line, often for months or years at a time. They must fight and, if necessary, die to accomplish their missions. In spite of these stark contrasts, joining the military can be an attractive decision. For some, it is an easy way out of poverty. For others, it is a way to gain respect in a vast, uncaring galaxy. Some join out of duty to their sovereign or because they desire training in a specific field or in a trade skill. Others yearn for the adventure and excitement that can be found on the front lines of any conflict. Leadership See also: Rank and Privilege The rigid structure of a Military Campaign can be jarring to those more used to the independence of a conventional civilian campaign. The heroes can have ranks- either honorary titles or specific grades that they have earned with blood, sweat, and tears. Orders given by superiors are expected to be obeyed without question. Insubordination is dealt with swiftly and harshly. In extreme cases, insubordinate individuals are thrown into the brig or shot outright. Commissioned Officers The Commissioned Officer ranks are at the top of the military food chain. Commissioned Officers have administrative and leadership roles and make all of the important decisions, such as ordering planetary invasions or deciding who gets promoted. These line officers come from privileged backgrounds and have higher education. Some are from the middle class, going against the current to earn their commissions. Rarely, a Noncommissioned Officer can prove their worth in battle, earning a battlefield commission. The most privileged officers come from so-called military families, and are known as Generationals. These troopers are proud of their lineage and can trace their military ancestry back several decades or even centuries. The military structure can become rife with political infighting and favoritism. In some instances, officers are appointed for political reasons rather than for their merit or skill. Such political appointees are looked down upon by those officers who have earned their ranks through hard work and risk of life and limb. Generationals are particularly disgusted by such political nepotism, especially since such appointments often turn out to be more of a detriment than a benefit to their military branches. Their well-placed friends make political appointees dangerous enemies if they feel they have been slighted. During the rise of Emperor Palpatine's New Order, the Imperial military is severly corrupted by the commissioning of political appointees. While a line officer commands forces in the field, a staff officer is awarded a commision based on a specific area of expertise. Staff officers include doctors, scientists, lawyers, military advisors, and other specialists. Although technically officers with all the privileges and authority of their specified grade, they often lack the tactical know-how and leadership skills of line officers. The Officer ranks are further subdivided by their level of authority and the scope of their oversight. In the army, the highest ranking of these are known as general officers, and in the navy, they are fleet officers. These officers are responsible for a specific fleet or for the military presence throughout an entire system or sector of space. Below the general officers are the senior officers, who administer and maintain brigades of personnel and material. Below them are junior officers, who command smaller units and unit sectors. Creating Officer NPCs Perhaps the most important of the allied NPCs the heroes deal with on a regular basis are their commanding officers. These individuals give them orders, conduct their briefings, and reward or punish them for their successes or failures. Although heroes might aspire to the officer ranks- or even begin the game as junior officers- they rarely, if ever, achieve the highest senior officer ranks, much less those of general officers. Officers can have vastly different methods of managing troops. When creating a commanding officer for the heroes, consider the background of the individual officer. If this a proud Generational, whose ancestors have served in the military since before the Clone Wars? Or is this a political appointee likely to get troopers killed or to hide in a bunker when the chips are down? Beyond the questions of past and personality, you also should determine the officer's Class and Skills. Most officers begin their careers as Nobles, with a privileged upbringing and education. Some officers start as Soldiers, instead, making them seem gruff and earthy when compared to their more privileged comrades. Officers might also include a few Scoundrels who have conned their way into the upper echelons of the military. Skills that are central to an officer's role include Initiative, Knowledge (Tactics), and Persuasion. An officer in the field must be able to react to situations quickly and have a good grasp of appropriate tactical responses in an ever-changing combat environment. An officer must also be able to command his or her troops, earn their loyalty, and concisely communicate effective orders. The Commando Talent Tree and Leadership Talent Tree are an officer's bread and butter. Expertise in at least one of these trees is necessary for the officer to effectively lead on the battlefield. The Leadership Talent Tree is perhaps the more important of the two, offering Talents such as Born Leader, Coordinate, and Rally. The Commando Talent Tree gives the officer more hands-on ability in combat with Battle Analysis, Draw Fire, and Harm's Way. As he or she advances in level, an officer can benefit from Multiclassing. Soldier is the obvious multiclass choice for an officer who starts out as a Noble. Likewise, one or two levels in the Noble Class can benefit a Soldier who plans to advance through the officer ranks. Officers who work closely with forward scouts and small tactical units can benefit from Scout levels, and shipboard officers can benefit from the Spacer Talent Tree by taking one or more levels in the Scoundrel class. In the long term, an officer character should work toward gaining levels in the Officer Prestige Class, which offers a number of advantages, including access to the Military Tactics Talent Tree. When used in conjunction with the Talents gained from the Leadership Talent Tree or Commando Talent Tree, Military Tactics Talent Tree Talents can make the difference between a good officer and an outstanding one. Enlisted Troops Below the officers is the largest part of any military- the enlisted ranks. The majority of troopers at these grades are civilian troopers who proudly serve their planet, system, or government by contributing to the defense and protection of its citizens. Others are conscripts or draftees brought into service by societal or bureaucratic obligation, regardless of their desire to serve. Since enlistment in a standing military requires little education or privilege, enlisted troops come from all walks of life. Enlistees receive comprehensive training including not only combat techniques but also one or more technical fields, which can be useful later in civilian life. Those whose homeworlds offer limited opportunities are attracted by the chance to travel the galaxy and learn valuable skills. Thus, many enlisted troops are drawn from backwater systems. In a campaign with an organized military setting, players will likely be enlisted troops. They might begin as noncommissioned officers (NCOs) within the senior enlisted ranks if that is appropriate to their backstories and the requirements of your game. NCOs supervise the day-to-day activities of the troops they command. In the field, a NCO assists junior and senior commissioned officers and line troops and by commanding smaller units such as squads. Senior enlisted troops are sometimes older and more experienced than the junior commissioned officers who command them. In such instances, the NCOs are expected to lend their expertise to their commanders while remaining subservient- a delicate balance that must be maintained. Good officers rely heavily on the opinions and advice of their NCOs, and good NCOs learn when to offer their opinions and when to keep quiet. Creating Enlisted NPCs You have a lot of freedom when creating nonplayer characters within the enlisted ranks. Since recruits can come from any world, in any region of the galaxy, nearly any character can enlist. Unless the NPC is particularly important, keep the character as general as possible until you need to flesh the character out more fully. Your best bet is to keep a list of names and a stock trooper template handy. Is the character from an impoverished backwater world or has this trooper led a privileged life, enlisting to spite family expectations of officer's training? Is this NPC an unwilling conscript or an idealistic volunteer? Is this trooper a hard worker or a slacker who does the minimum amount of work and no more? Is this a fresh recruit right out of boot camp or a veteran who has lost count of the firefights of a long career? Enlisted troops are likely to begin their careers as Soldiers and Scouts, depending on their speciality. A Scoundrel caught in the commission of a crime might be given a choice between prison and military service. Nobles, too, occasionally drift into the enlisted ranks. Physical Skills such as Climb, Endurance, Jump, and Swim are important to troopers. Quick reactions are also necessary to stay alive, making Initiative a key Skill. If the soldier is a specialist, then his or her area of expertise should be represented by training in the Mechanics, Pilot, Treat Injury, or Use Computer Skills. Troopers are also likely to have the Knowledge (Tactics) Skill, especially if they are in an elite unit. As a trooper advances in level, Multiclassing is typically restricted to a level or two of Scout to improve the Stealth and Survival Skills. A trooper must possess the proper Feats to perform effectively. A trooper must be trained in the use of both Rifles and Light Armor and, preferably, Medium Armor. Even Light Armor can meant the difference between life and death on the battlefields of the Star Wars galaxy. Any Feat that increases a trooper's accuracy is worth having, so Point-Blank Shot is a must. Troopers who expect to enter close combat should consider learning Martial Arts I. Talents are straightforward for Soldiers. The Armor Specialist Talent Tree, Commando Talent Tree, and Weapon Specialist Talent Tree offer plenty of good choices for aspiring military men and women. The ranges at which wars are waged make the Brawler Talent Tree somewhat less useful. Soldiers who dabble in the Scout Class should consider the Talents from the Awareness Talent Tree, Camouflage Talent Tree, and Survivor Talent Tree. The Elite Trooper is the most obvious Prestige Class for troopers to aspire to. The Elite Trooper's Weapon Master Talent Tree makes this trooper even more deadly, while the Delay Damage and Damage Reduction abilities vastly increase his or her life expectancy. Military Recruitment Military recruiters rarely mention the downside of military service. If they did, they would never meet their quotas of enlistees. They do make genuine promises to prospective recruits, but they sanitize their accounts of military life. Nevertheless, nearly every enlistee sees military-themed holovids. Depending on the Era of Play, such vids are either cinematic flights of fantasy in which the hero never gets seriously wounded and blasters never run out of ammo, or they are brutal and grueling depictions of the horrors of war that stun viewers. Prior to the Clone Wars, the public perception of the military is relatively neutral, perhaps a bit negative. A large standing army or navy is unnecessary, and peace is the rule rather than the exception. When Supreme Chancellor Palpatine forms the Grand Army of the Republic, the military's role and visibility grow. Not only are clones fighting Separatists on distant battlefields, but clones also patrol the streets of Coruscant looking for terrorists. Likewise, civilian vehicles and vessels now share airspace with military transports and warships. Although the clones created on Kamino are a capable fighting force for the Republic and, eventually, the Empire, the vast scope of the war requires additional manpower from more traditional volunteers. The Republic Navy relies heavily on nonclone recruits to bolster its ranks, because most clones lack the specialized training necessary to maintain complex warships. The military commanders of the time know that the reserves of ready clones are finite, so they increase recruitment on most worlds in The Core and The Mid Rim. Stringent recruitment quotas are established throughout the Republic's loyal systems. Human-dominated worlds are targeted for heavy recruitment, even though many of the Republic's staunchest supporters are not members of the Human Species. Worlds and systems that fail to meet recruitment quotas are initially subjected to draft lotteries, but these eventually give way to so-called conscription drives that are essentially mass kidnappings of able-bodied men and women. Basic Training and Indoctrination The first stop for any new recruit is basic training. Even officers receive a form of basic training which is, despite rumors to the contrary, just as grueling as the training for enlisted troops. Few recruits know what to expect when they leave their transports and line up on a military tarmac for orientation. Recruits expect training to be a painful experience in which they are constantly belittled and forced to perform endless marches and physical exercise. The truth is not as bad as the holovids have made it out to be, but it is definitely not for the weak-willed or frail. Medical examinations are performed immediately following enlistment. The doctors who perform these examinations look for obvious defects or health issues. Recruits must also meet strict height and weight requirements. Any sensory deficiencies, such as near- or far-sightedness or deafness, must be correctable with the proper equipment or procedures. Physicians also administer a wide array of inoculations to recruits to prevent them from contracting any of a hundred exotic diseases during the course of their military service. Next, recruits are stripped of their identities. Initial orientation can include a military-style haircut, and recruits are issued uniforms. With some military organizations, initial orientation also includes an alphanumeric assignment, such as a Stormtrooper's TK designation code. From the beginning of training until graduation, such troopers are expected to answer only to their designation code. When deprived of their individuality, recruits are more easily trained to rely on the group as a whole when accomplishing tasks. They are also prepared for the impersonal nature of military service, which can be one of the most shocking experiences a new recruit faces. They are reduced to being numbers, not names, making them both unique and anonymous. Once the troops are issued uniforms and other equipment, they begin a training regimen wight to ten weeks long, designed to weed out the weak and to mold the rest into uniform physical fitness. This training makes the recruits physically healthier, and it increases their self-confidence about what they can accomplish physically. Along with exercises, troopers are taught to march and drill, both with and without armor and weapons. Despite its repetitive nature, drill is an important activity for recruits because it ingrains command movements into the trooper's mind, making them reflexive. Troopers who drill endlessly are easier to control on the battlefield, and they respond instantly when familiar orders are given. Even before learning to shoot it, a recruit is taught how to care for his or her weapon. The steps to strip a Blaster Rifle, clean it, and reassemble it are repeated until they are second nature. Speed is also important, and most militaries require that a trainee can break down, clean, and reassemble a weapon within a specific time. Stories of troopers required to clean weapons while blindfolded or in the dark are not far from the truth. Conditioning recruits to the rigors of the battlefield is another important part of basic training. The sounds, sights, and smells of combat are omnipresent. Troopers drill with the sounds of blaster fire and incoming artillery in their ears. This acclimates them to such experiences. Many new recruits freeze the first time they are targeted by incoming fire, and the sooner they become used to the experience of being shot at, the better. When the time comes, recruits are taught how to fight in both a real and a tactical sense. Combat training teaches recruits to kill their enemies, both with and without weapons. Because a recruit's body reacts differently when in optimal physical condition, trainees are expected to be in top physical form for combat training, so they are rarely taught combat methods straight away. At this point in training, a recruit undergoes several hours of physical exercise, followed by several more hours of combat training, either sparring with comrades or on a firing range. Weapons training is a comprehensive process. Troopers are taught that they must shoot to kill, and that a wounded enemy can be just as dangerous as a healthy one. The enemy a trooper kills is an enemy the trooper no longer has to worry about. Although this is all fine in theory, the act of taking a life is something that most civilized militaries leave to the actual battlefield. That said, training is as realistic as possible without being deadly, even to the point of conducting skirmishes with weapons set to Stun. At the cumulation of basic training, a recruit should be in peak physical condition and trained to fight and die on the front lines. Graduation ceremonies are traditionally held with much fanfare, and group assignments are handed out. Depending on their affinities, some recruits go on to additional specialized training, such as that required for a technical role such as technician or medic, or for a more defined military role such as Heavy Weapons operator or repulsorlift or Walker pilot. Starting Out Basic Ambitious Gamemasters might like to start the heroes out as civilians who have joined, or even been forced to join, a military force. From this pivotal point, the heroes are sent to basic training. In such a circumstance, the heroes can be first-level characters of any Heroic Class. They can even start as first-level Nonheroic characters, which can be even more challenging. Although day-to-day depictions of calisthenics-based Skill Checks can grow tedious, dramatic opportunities arise throughout the course of basic training. If the characters go on to serve together in combat, their shared experiences during training have a significant effect on how they relate to one another. The basic-training experience also serves to acclimatize players- especially those with no military experience- to the rigors of a military campaign. At the conclusion of basic training, heroes should be allowed to gain a single level in the Soldier Class to reflect the gains they have made during their training. If the heroes started as Nonheroic characters, they should be able to trade their Nonheroic level for a level in the Soldier Class. Additional training can be applied during down-time following their graduation, or it can be included in the basic-training experience. Washing Out of Basic Despite the best efforts to train all recruits equally, some recruits cannot make the cut. These individuals are weeded out in the first few weeks of basic training for one of three reasons: physical, psychological, or disciplinary. Physical wash-outs include recruits with preexisting medical conditions that make them unfit for duty. Such conditions might escape the rigorous medical examinations conducted prior to basic training. Such enlistees, in their zeal to serve in the military, go to great lengths to hide their physical deficiencies. Such a problem might be knowingly overlooked by the recruit's superiors unless the problem prevents the recruit from completing training. Some recruits are injured during training, sometimes so severely that the recruit is discharged. Psychological wash-outs can be the most difficult to detect. Basic training presents mental challenges that some recruits cannot cope with. Instructors are taught to watch for signs of mental distress in their recruits. Troopers sometimes react negatively to stress, but action must be taken when such reactions pose a threat to the recruit or to his or her comrades. Recruits who are suspected of having mental problems are evaluated by a military psychologist, who makes the final determination as to the trainee's suitability. Disciplinary wash-outs include malcontents, insubordinates, and criminals. Military instructors seek to break negative behaviors from the onset, using brutal punishment and intimidation. However, this does not always work, particularly when the recruit in question is exceptionally strong-willed. Recruits are washed out for disciplinary reasons only when their infractions become a threat to unit cohesion. Individuals who wash out of basic training are shunted back to their civilian lives with little or no compensation. If they are guilty of serious disciplinary infractions, they might serve time in a military prison or stockade before dismissal. Tempered by Fire Troopers are trained to fight, but until the moment of truth- when they are tested by actual combat- they have yet to prove themselves. That first encounter with the enemy is rarely forgotten, and it can make a lasting impression on even the stoutest recruits. Every encounter is different. Wat it an ambush? An assault? A defensive action? Were the objectives met, or was it a tactical disaster? Did the trooper's friends and comrades survive, or was the unit wiped out, leaving the trooper alone to tell the tale? All of these can make for an interesting, character-driven story, and it is up to you to decide what sort of encounter you want your heroes to experience first. The Senses of Combat If the heroes in your game are greenies just out of boot camp, a key element of combat is the sensory input surrounding the heroes when the blaster bolts begin to fly. Capture your players' imaginations with vivid depictions of the violence around them. Give them a clear vision of what they see, hear, smell, and feel without becoming monotonous or getting bogged down in the details. Even one or two descriptive words can be enough to adequately convey the point as you narrate the events taking place. First of all, combat is rarely a quiet affair. Weapons discharge constantly, both nearby and in the distance. Explosions- whether from thrown Grenades, cannons, or incoming artillery- rock the world and send bodies flying with their shock waves. Orders are shouted, and he wounded scream as their lives slowly bleed out into the dirt beneath them. Repulsorlifts whine as Speeders saketa across the landscape and as transports and spacecraft fly overhead. Smell is also a crucial sense that must be conveyed to the first-time combatant. Continuous blaster fire creates an energy-tinged smell of ozone and hot wiring. Smoke from fires is everywhere, and the sources are numerous: burning Vehicles, foliage and trees, bodies, propellent, and explosives all produce smoke with slightly different characteristics. The heroes' sweat- pouring from their unwashed bodies- creates a palpable aroma. The landscape provides its own odors, too. A battle in a swampy marsh is punctuated by heavy, organic smells, and a shipboard assault features atmosphere made sterile by countless cycles through an active life-support scrubber. What the players feel is just as important as what they smell and hear. Is it a hot day, when the heat makes wearing any kind of armor unbearable? Is it bitterly cold, causing the heroes' extremities to become numb and clumsy in the frigid wind? Or is it a temperate day, strangely beautiful despite the carnage being sown all around the heroes? Consider the hammering recoil created by the heroes' weapons as they fire, and the burning impact of an incoming blaster shot as it knocks one to the ground. The battlefield is filled with rich visual imagery. Fires burn, and smoke and fog inhibit visibility. Enemies emerge from the gloom like shadowy ghosts silhouetted by explosions and weapon discharges. Sudden flashes of light can cause momentary blindness or provide an all-too-brief instant of lucidity. Provide contrasts: dropships shriek overhead, leaving contrails across a far planet's purple sky, or a fragile red flower grows mere centimeters from the outstretched hand of a fallen enemy. Lastly, help your players bring out their heroes' emotional responses to battle. Combat, especially a hero's first combat, is a frightening affair. However, emotions are tricky to convey to players in a roleplaying game. You must take care not to force particular responses from players. Instead, ask questions that lead your players to voice their emotions or to express them in the actions of their characters. You can certainly ask your players how their characters are feeling, and then expect them to act appropriately. Surrounded by Death The sights of both friendly and enemy dead and wounded should be stressed without turning the game into a verbal depiction of ultraviolence. Blood is rarely seen in the major battles of the Star Wars movies. Although you might punctuate your tales with brief representations of gore, these details should be kept to a minimum unless they serve the story. The best practice is to make general statements and allow the players to fill in blanks with their own imaginations. Commenting that a fallen soldier was the victim of several hits from a high-powered blaster is enough to get the point across without discussing internal organs. A degree of empathy should be present in your depictions of the dead. Do not expect your heroes to shed a tear for the scores of Battle Droids they have dispatched, but you should still attempt to show them that their organic enemies are not so different from them. Had circumstances been different, those enemies might have even been friends. The combats that your heroes are likely to participate in might involve dozens or sometimes hundreds of individuals. Given the power and efficiency of military weapons in Star Wars, death can be nearly instantaneous and widespread. An assault's first wave against a heavily fortified emplacement can generate significant casualties. The battlefield weapons of Star Wars are both spectacularly and brutally efficient. Consider that the typical Nonheroic character has 4 Hit Points and a Damage Threshold of 10 at first level. Next, take into account that a Blaster Rifle deals 3d8 damage on a hit, with an average damage of 13 or 14. Obviously, a single hit from such a weapon is enough to kill a lower-level NPC. Heroic characters, even with their higher Hit Point totals, are not immune to such damage. An average first-level Soldier can take only three such hits. Even taking into account the variables granted by catching a Second Wind or spending a Force Point, that Soldier is reduced to a state that makes him or her combat ineffective unless medical attention is received. Combat in Star Wars is a deadly business. Living with War When developing NPCs for a military campaign, consider the various ways in which troopers might respond to the experience of combat. Fresh recruits, while frightened by the prospect of their own demise, see death and injury as something that happens only to someone else, so NPCs who don't have much battle experience are likely to be more gung ho about military encounters than those with more time on the front lines. As recruits become seasoned veterans, they begin to understand that a trooper is not invulnerable. With this realization of their own mortality comes a desire to avoid unacceptable risks. Over time, a trooper's comrades are sent to other units or become casualties of war. Friends are replaced by less-experienced troopers. A veteran NPC might make a conscious effort to avoid close relationships within his or her unit, and might rebuff friendly overtures made by the heroes. Such tendencies can make veteran NPCs seem cold and dispassionate. Troopers must learn to cope with the rigors of combat. Some delve into alcohol, spice, and other substances. Others cling to memories of home, writing letters to loved ones on a daily basis. Any distraction, whether harmful or benign, is a welcome change from the constant fear that permeates a trooper's life. Portraying the variety of ways in which the other members of the heroes' unit respond to the stresses of a military campaign can add to the players' sense of the rigors of war. After the Fire After serving his or her stint on the front lines, a trooper might attempt to return to a normal civilian life. Most ex-troopers who have seen combat find this transition to be a difficult one, because few of their new associates understand what they have gone through. The heroes are likely to encounter ex-military characters at many points in the campaign, as shopkeepers from whom they purchase supplies, as cantina patrons or spectators at Podraces, as friends, as informants, or as mercenaries. After so many years of conflict, former members of the Empire's vast military machine can be found in even the most remote regions of the galaxy. For example, perhaps the heroes have gone into town to enjoy some R&R between missions. There, they discover that the bartender in a local cantina was a staff sergeant in the Imperial Army for many years, until her near-death in a firefight left her unfit for service. If the heroes press this NPC for details, they might discover some of the ways in which an ex-trooper's experience of wartime events continues to have an impact on his or her day-to-day life. Flashbacks and nightmares about combat, phobias or the avoidance of situations, sights, and sounds that the trooper associates with wartime experiences, and being overly aware of potential dangers are some of the behaviors that a character with traumatic wartime experiences could display. Don't overemphasize this type of extreme reaction to the experience of combat, but feel free to introduce the idea that the war affects every citizen of the Empire, not just those wearing a uniform. Mercenary Groups Rather than portraying members of a military organization such as The Old Republic, The New Republic, The Galactic Empire, or The Rebel Alliance, you might consider allowing the heroes to take on the roles of civilian contractors- otherwise known as mercenaries. Mercenaries are freelance guns for hire, troopers who sell their services to the highest bidder regardless of politics or morality. The use of mercenaries has a checkered reputation, especially among military professionals, but their services can be invaluable. Not all mercenaries- or mercs- are dishonest or shady. Some of the best-paid mercenaries have successful track records due, in part, to good ethics. Mercenaries can be hired singly, but they are most commonly contracted in small- or medium-sized companies. Depending on how successful or well funded they are, mercenary companies might include infantry units, fast-attack craft, and armored assault Vehicles. The best and most effective mercenaries act as independent military units, but without any particular loyalties. The larger the company, however, the more expensive their services are liable to be. The largest mercenary companies provide services a la carte. They do not require that their entire organization be employed by a single power. Instead, they allow individual components to be contracted out, typically for a specified period of time. This allows them to be more fiscally flexible, depending on the scale of the conflict. In such instances, mercenary companies take pains not to hire their forces out to two or more opposing factions at the same time. After all, the last thing they want to do is pit their troops against each other. Nations, corporations, and other powers hire mercenaries for various reasons. Mercenaries are typically hired to supplement standing military units by providing support or additional security. Occasionally, individuals or organizations with no military hire mercenaries to field an armed force on short notice. Mercenaries are also hired to perform jobs that employers find questionable or distasteful, and they can be hired in secrecy. Contracting mercenaries can be expensive. One reason why they cost more than line troops is that mercenaries must fully support themselves. If no other stipulations are included in their contract, mercs must provide their own weapons, munitions, fuel, food, and other equipment. Under most circumstances, they must also provide their own medical care. Mercenaries who are wounded or die in the line of duty are owed nothing by the organization who has hired them. One benefit to running a game in which the heroes portray mercenaries is flexibility. Mercenaries can be hired for single jobs or contracted for long-term assignments. Their members can come from any race. And they can also work for nearly any employer- the Empire, the Alliance, the Corporate Sector Authority, or any of a number of other interests. Military Adventures See also: Adventure Example: Planetary Assault Vast intergalactic war is one of the elements that makes Star Wars compelling. The constant battles being waged throughout the galaxy give the setting one of its most distinctive flavors. When this is combined with the struggle between good and evil, you have an epic adventure. Although the galaxy is large enough to play host to any number of campaign types, the military campaign is one of the easiest to formulate and run, especially over the long term. The stories can encompass as many disparate elements as you wish. They can involve personal psychological struggles or group struggles as heroes attempt to achieve ultimate victory. The truism that war brings out both the best and worst in people can be experienced in its fullest in a military-themed campaign. Unlike independent heroes- such as smuggles, fugitive Jedi, displaced nobles, fringe natives, or bounty hunters- active-duty troopers are part of a well-defined chain of command. They are bound to a specific cause by their terms of service, usually part of a contract or an oath to whatever power they serve. They are paid for the risks they take, but this compensation pales when compared to the riches that independent and freelance heroes crave. The true reward is the job itself and the benefits of ultimate victory, if they manage to claim it. Many of the most exciting moments in the Star Wars movies depict battles for important military objectives: the attack on The Death Star during the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope, the Imperial deployment on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, the battle above Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith, and the ground assault on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones. Giving your players and their heroes an opportunity to participate in these sorts of actions brings them closer to the sense of conflict inherent in the setting. Designing Military Adventures The first thing you need to decide when designing military-themed adventures is the scale. Do you want to involve your players in grand battles, or are you more interested in a game that centers on a small team of military specialists? Is the conflict in which the heroes are amboiled a relatively isolated brushfire war, or is it part of a larger conflict that spans the galaxy? Although large battles are one of the genre's staples, they are often fought on smaller fronts. Involving the heroes in vast battles is an excellent way to remind them of the conflict's scope, but if every battle is another Geonosis, large-scale battles can become tiresome. Your best bet is to intersperse smaller adventures and skirmishes with the larger ones. The last adventure in the series should be the climactic battle, where everything comes together and the heroes' successes and failures come back to help or haunt them. Military adventures are rarely quiet. Troopers are warriors, first and foremost, and their skills are geared toward making war. This is not to say that missions cannot be conducted under a blanket of secrecy. In fact, many missions require that the heroes use good judgment and discretion to accomplish their goals. Despite this, there should be occasions where the heroes are expected to participate in stand-up fights against their enemies, where their ability to steality infiltrate has little influence over the final outcome. You also must determine the composition of the heroes' party. Will it consist entirely of Soldiers or Multiclass characters with one or more levels of Soldier? Or will you allow other Heroic Classes to join the group? Although Soldiers make up the majority of most military forces, other Heroic Classes can be a part of the adventure. Nobles can act as officers, Scouts can participate as reconnaissance troops or as native guides, and Scoundrels can lend their skills at stealth and infiltration to the group as a whole. Even Jedi have a part to play, although their true potential might be hidden from the group, depending upon the Era of Play in which you set your game. First Things First: The Objective Before you start, you need to determine the overall goal of the military adventure. The objective can be as epic or as incidental as you like, but it should be important in a military sense. Do you want the heroes to assault an entire planet? Or are they to pacify a band of pirates that has made its base in an asteroid field? Whatever the goal, your job is to make it interesting for the heroes and to make the rewards commensurate with the risks that they take. The Sequence of Events Choose a series of three to six missions that culminate in the successful completion of the overall military objective. You can determine these missions based on the objective or generate them randomly (See Mission Generator). The missions need not take place in the same general area or within a short period of time. Some missions might send the heroes to take care of related tasks elsewhere before they can target the final objective. One or more missions might be time sensitive, lending a sense of urgency to the proceedings and preventing the heroes from taking detours that bog down play. Time-sensitive missions also remind the players that they are a part of a larger universe, and that other events are taking place during downtime. Learning that an enemy fortification must be captured within the next two hours is more exciting than having free rein to take as much time as you want to plan and execute an attack. With each mission assigned, determine the results of both success and failure. Does the final objective hinge on each of these missions in some way? Will it be more difficult to accomplish if the missions leading up to it are not successfully completed? If the heroes fail in a related mission, it should have some noticeable effect. Cast of Characters Once you have the general path of the overall adventure plotted out, decide who the heroes should interact with. Who are their enemies? Who are their allies? Will they need additional specialists to perform their missions, or can they rely on their own skills to be successful? Do they have a commanding officer? If so, what is he or she like? The supporting cast should become familiar over the course of the adventure. Even little touches are appreciated by most players as time goes on. Perhaps they become friendly with the quartermaster who assigns gear before each mission, just as he or she admonishes them for returning the equipment dirty or damaged. Maybe competitors in another unit engage in a bit of friendly inter-unit rivalry between assignments. Most importantly, do not forget the other members of the heroes' unit. Even if they do not participate in every mission that the heroes are sent on, the other squads in the heroes' unit can become good friends and welcome additions to their group from time to time. If these individuals are lost, either alongside the heroes or while on another mission, the horrors of war and the losses of combat become palpable. Briefings Each mission should have an official briefing that is delivered by the commanding officer. The briefing should cover the basics of the mission: the mission's goal; the details of the area in which the mission takes place; how the players are expected to arrive and depart the area; any intelligence that has been gathered; and, if necessary, a timetable that must be followed. Any secondary objectives or goals that are not critical to the overall success of the mission should also be covered in the briefing. The briefing should give a general outline of what the heroes' commanding officer intends for them to achieve. Better informed individuals than the heroes have concocted these plans to save the heroes the trouble of formulating complicated plans of their own. From Command's point of view, the heroes are tools to be used in a specific and predefined manner, but the plans are not always nonnegotiable. The heroes should be given leeway to make reasonable alterations, and once the mission starts it need not proceed exactly as planned. Events on the ground might require the heroes to make adjustments on the fly. Prepare for the briefing by having a map or two available. The heroes might want to know where they are going and what the local terrain is like. If they have multiple options for their insertion or extraction, these should be noted on the map, as should the locations of any secondary objectives. Be ready to answer any questions that the heroes ask, but remember that the commanding officer is not omniscient. Under most circumstances, he or she knows only as much about the mission as the briefing details. Intelligence provided during the briefing can be as specific or as general as you like. In fact, it need not be completely accurate. Misinformation increases the intensity of the mission when the assumed facts are shown to be incorrect. Such misinformation is not always harmful. If the analysis indicates that a brigade of elite Stormtroopers is present, the heroes are unlikely to complain if those forces have been redeployed to another sector. Faulty intelligence should be used sparingly, however, because heroes who have been burned in the past tend to assume that all future intelligence will be wrong, as well. Intelligence can be as mundane as you like. Enemy unit designations or specifications are perfect: "The area is patrolled by Kraken's Maulers, an elite cadre of SpecOps troops" gives a sense of real military concerns. If the heroes have run into elements of these units in the past, revealing their presence might give the heroes second thoughts about the ease of the mission. When the briefing is finished, the heroes should be allowed to ask any final questions, make requests for special equipment and personnel, and discuss any potential changes to the mission profile. When these final details are ironed out, the commanding officer dismisses them. This is your chance to delve into their commanding officer's personality. Is this commander cold and calculating, or does he or she take the time to wish each of the heroes luck before they depart? Are words of encouragement brief, or is this commander prone to bombastic speeches that bore as much as they inspire? Zero Hour Eventually, plans must be transformed into action. The heroes, as ready as ever, are inserted into their area of operations. From this point on, the game carries on much like any other. Do not be afraid to throw a few surprises at the players. Local wildlife, natives, and the environment can spice up an otherwise mundane or formulaic mission. Unless the mission takes place in the relative peace leading up to a full-scale invasion, be sure to stress the elements of war raging around the heroes that affect the local population and landscape. Idyllic tracts of farmland might be scarred by bomb craters, burned-out bunkers, and the smoking hulks of destroyed Vehicles. Extraction and Debriefing Whether or not the heroes succeed in their assignment, they must eventually return to their superiors and take responsibility for their actions. Leaving a combat zone is a tense experience, especially if the heroes are under fire. One lucky shot on the part of the enemy could result in death for the entire unit. This is not to say that every extraction should be performed under fire. Instead, consider the circumstances of the mission and the status of nearby enemies and act accordingly. When they return to their commanding officer, the heroes must be debriefed. A debriefing is typically attended by an intelligence analyst and by the heroes' CO. The heroes or their designated leader recount the mission, revealing any discoveries they made along the way. If appropriate, congratulations or admonitions are made, depending on the degree of the mission's success.In the case of mercenary heroes (See Mercenary Groups, above), final payment is made or arranged. Depending on the intensity of the conflict, the heroes might have a period of rest between mission, or they might be expected to perform their next mission straightaway. If the heroes are not given time to heal or recover, they might suffer from fatigue and the effects of wounds. Their effectiveness might be reduced, but such circumstances are not uncommon during a protracted or high-intensity conflict. Battles in Adventures One of the best backdrops for adventures with a military theme is the battle. Battles can serve simply as set dressing for your adventures and encounters, or they can be more integral to the campaign. When heroes participate in adventures that take place against the backdrop of a battle, they may have the chance to influence that battle's outcome. For example, the heroes may have a mission that is relatively small in scale, such as destroying an enemy frigate or rescuing prisoners of war. Set against the backdrop of a battle, the encounters within that adventure have not only the feel of being a part of a larger war, but also, depending on the heroes' actions, may shape the way the battle concludes. Gamemasters who want to have the heroes' actions influence the overall outcome of the battle have several options available to them. Victory Points One simple way to have your heroes affect the outcome of a battle during the course of the adventure is with a simple resolution system that uses Victory Points. When designing the adventure, determine which encounters in the adventure have the potential to contribute, either positively or negatively, to the outcome of the battle the adventure is using as a backdrop. Choosing which encounters take advantage of this system should be as simple as asking yourself whether or not the encounter could influence the flow of the battle, and how much significance you want placed on that individual encounter. Similarly, every encounter that is part of a battle should have a mission or goal with a clearly defined division between victory and defeat. For example, suppose that you're designing an adventure set against the backdrop of a massive land battle on Kashyyyk. You determine that you want to have three encounters that can potentially affect the outcome of the battle. Those three encounters might alter the battle in different ways; for example, one of the encounters might require the heroes to free some Wookiee prisoners from an enemy camp and return them to the fight, while another might require the heroes to destroy an anti-aircraft cannon so that reinforcements can land safely. As mentioned above, each encounter must have a clear goal or mission with an easily determined difference between success and failure. The heroes' goal might be to destroy something (Or stop it from being destroyed), to prevent enemies from reaching a certain position, to place explosives in a precise location, and so on. If the heroes succeed in this goal, they earn a Victory Point. If they fail to achieve their goal, they gain a Defeat Point. There is no such thing as a partial success in this system: the heroes either succeed completely or they fail. Once all of the encounters have concluded, tally up the number of Victory Points and the number of Defeat Points the heroes earned. If the heroes earned more Victory Points, the battle's outcome swings in their favor; if they earned more Defeat Points, the battle's outcome has negative repercussions for the characters. You should decide in advance what these outcomes might be. Failure for the heroes does not necessarily have to mean defeat for their side of the conflict. The victory of one side over the other may be a foregone conclusion, but the heroes' success determines the actual form that the victory takes, how many losses were sustained, or other important aspects of the conflict. Operation: First Breach makes use of the Victory Points system in its final section, during a battle to liberate a planet. The Imperial Campaign Main Article: The Imperial Campaign During The Rebellion Era, the largest, most powerful, and most cohesive military force is controlled by the Empire. The increased militarization started by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the Clone Wars is enhanced by fierce nationalism, xenophobia, and fears of destabilization. Constant warfare keeps the Imperial military in a heightened state of readiness for decades, and insurgent uprisings on a number of worlds sharpen the skills of Imperial officers and the troops that serve beneath them. Thousands of military vessels crewed by millions of loyal Imperial troops cruise space in defense of the Empire. They possess the best weapons and equipment available, along with the tenacity and training to use them to the best effect. In addition, Emperor Palpatine- a charismatic and seemingly selfless leader- has made it his goal to see that their way of life is not tarnished by corruption, terrorism, or the threat of primitive and debauched non-Human societies. How can they lose? Battlefield Encounter Tool Kit Main Article: Battlefield Encounter Tool Kit The battlefields of the Star Wars universe are many and varied, so the tactics of enemies and allies should not be limited to routine assault or defense. Methods of warfare can be codified and civil or brutal and barbaric, but the aim is always the same- victory. When the price of victory becomes secondary to victory itself, all bets are off. This Battlefield Encounter Tool Kit features various rules and options for spicing up the battlefields of your military campaigns. Some of the rules presented here might prove deadly to unprepared heroes. You are advised to use them with care. Mission Generator Main Article: Mission Generator You might have a clear idea of the types of missions you want to send the heroes on. However, the Mission Generator can help to formulate a basic concept from which you can extrapolate more concrete details for a specific mission. To use the generator, roll a d20 and consult the table below. Each Mission type is briefly described in their respective section, along with criteria to determine Mission success.